Removable Overlay Panel for Existing Garage Door

ABSTRACT

A panel overlay system for embellishing an existing metal multi-panel articulating overhead garage door is disclosed. Plural lightweight panels are removably attached to the panels of the existing garage door with magnets. Each panel comprises an underlayment sheet that provides a relatively rigid structural backing, and thin wood veneer adhesively bonded to the outer-facing major surface of the backing sheet. The veneer includes plural vertical demarcations; when multiple panels are installed the demarcations on adjacent panels align to give the appearance of elongated vertical boards. Vertical and horizontal members are placed at desired positions on the veneer—typically the vertical members are aligned along the side edges of the panel and the horizontal member extends across the middle of the panel so that the entire installation provides the appearance of a garage door typical of the well-known rail and stile carriage house design.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apparatus used to embellish a structure'sexisting garage doors, and more particularly, to lightweight removableoverlay panels designed for removable attachment to an overheadmulti-panel articulating metal garage door for the purpose of enhancingthe appearance of the garage door so that the door has the visualappearance of being made of solid wood in the style of a carriage-housetype of door.

BACKGROUND

Products that affordably re-create the appearance of today's luxury homeexteriors have been embraced by the home improvement markets. To providea few examples, manufactured veneer stone creates the look ofstacked-stone foundations, stamped-and-stained concrete mimics flagstonepathways, and architectural shingles emulate slate roofs just to name afew. These products are generally used in the embellishment ofmoderately-priced homes to enhance their exterior appearance, or“curb-appeal,” without incurring the increased costs associated with thehigh-end products that are being mimicked. It is clear that homeowners,realtors, builders and architects are seeking products which canaffordably embellish the exterior of lower to medium value homes so thatwhen these products are installed, they create the appearance that amore modest home has features that consumers typically associate withmore expensive luxury homes.

With today's shrinking urban and suburban building lots and the desireof many cities and towns to increase urban density, builders have beenforced to build structures in closer proximity to the street than wascommon in the past. As a result, the residential garage door has becomea prominent feature of modern lower-to-medium value homes, encompassingas much as forty percent of the street-view elevation of these homes.Such homes have predominantly been built with garage doors comprising aplurality of horizontal panels stacked vertically and connected viahinges, and retracting into the structure on an overhead channel trackwith spring-loading assistance. To manage costs the panels of thesegarage doors have generally been manufactured with stamped-steelexterior coverings, which have little to no visual interest. With theprominent position of the garage door in today's homes it would bebeneficial to have a product available that allows a user to affordablyembellish the appearance of an existing metal articulating paneloverhead garage door to simulate the appearance of vintage, solid-woodcarriage-style garage doors of the type that are found on much moreexpensive luxury homes.

In contrast to garage doors built of metal panels, many high end luxuryhomes are constructed with an overhead articulating multi-panel garagedoor that raises and lowers via a track and spring method and is made ofeither solid wood or a combination of metal underlayment with woodoverlaid onto the exterior. A carriage style house door of this type isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,085 to Jellá, (2003.) The garage doordescribed by Jellá is manufactured with a plurality of dimensional woodoverlays bonded to one another and arranged in patterns that give theappearance that the overhead door is actually a set of vintagesolid-wood rail and stile carriage-house doors which open transverselyvia side hinges. The manufacture of these high-end garage doors includesstaining and sealing all wood portions to the elements such that onceinstalled, the beauty of the wood is exposed to the exterior of thehome, giving the home's garage door a vintage appearance.

Wooden carriage-style garage doors such as those disclosed by Jellá tendto be expensive to purchase and difficult to install. As such, they tendto not be an option if a homeowner wants to add a real wood appearanceto an existing garage door. At the present time there is no option knownto applicant that allows a homeowner to achieve the look of a woodengarage door other than the complete removal and replacement of anexisting garage door. Not only is total replacement of an existinggarage door expensive, but it often requires the additional expensesassociated with upgrades to the structure's framing, track system,springs and electric opener to support the increased weight andthickness of the new garage door. Further, replacement of a metal garagedoor often requires the services of a contractor, with associatedexpenses. The bottom line is that garage door replacement may be tooexpensive for the average homeowner and outside the homeowner's normalskills, since most homeowners are not skilled in the art of garage doormanufacture and installation.

The increasing popularity of carriage-house style garage doors is madeapparent by the fact that garage door manufacturers such as ClopayBuilding Products R& D Company, Inc. (current website atwww.clopaydoor.com) have recently begun producing overheadarticulating-panel garage doors to include metal exterior panels intowhich patterns are permanently stamped that mimic the appearance andstructure of rail and stile carriage-house doors. With these products,multiple decorative polystyrene overlay members are applied to theexterior portion of doors to give a three-dimensional appearance thatclosely simulates the structure of those vintage carriage-house doors.However for a user to upgrade to these doors they must purchase acompletely new garage door and have their existing track system alteredto accommodate the increased weight and thickness of that new garagedoor. Therefore this method is not an option for someone looking toembellish an already-existing garage door. Furthermore since thesestamped panel garage doors are constructed of metal and polystyrene andprimed to be painted once installed, there is no way to gain theappearance of a solid-wood carriage-house door through this method.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,896 to Pinto et al. provides a method to embellish apre-manufactured multi-panel articulating overhead non-wood garage doorso that the finished door has the appearance of a rail and stile door.In this patent, a plurality of extruded polystyrene members is overlaidonto to a garage door before initial installation in a design that iscustomizable by the end user. This method requires that thepre-manufactured garage door be placed in a jig which approximates theopening framed in the structure into which the door will be installed.The polystyrene members are permanently adhered to the exterior surfaceof the garage door then cut to allow the door's panels to articulatecorrectly. Modification of an existing garage door according to thispatent is beyond the abilities of someone not skilled in garage doormanufacture and installation. Moreover, modification of the door isperformed prior to initial installation of the garage door, andtherefore not intended to embellish a garage door which is alreadyinstalled into a structure. Pinto's method creates a permanent bondbetween the overlay component and the underlying garage door, making theoverlaid panels non-removable. And since the overlaid panels arepolystyrene, the final finish would typically be paint and not solidwood. Pinto specifically calls out wood as an inadequate component ofgarage door overlays in general, which eliminates this method from usewhen one wishes to enhance their existing garage door to appear to bemade from solid wood with a carriage-house style.

US Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0107047 A1 filed by Magillet al. details a method wherein individual garage door panels arecreated using multiple metal skins. Pultruded fiber-reinforced thermosetmaterial is adhered to the outer or inner skins (or both) of metalpanels with a permanent adhesive that allows for the different thermalexpansions of the disparate materials involved. While the adhesivemethod and design of the overlay panel are left undefined, this methodis specific to the manufacture of garage doors prior to installation anddoes not provide for a method of overlaying a garage door that hasalready been installed in a structure. Furthermore, as before the use ofa non-wood material for the overlay panel that is permanently bonded tothe underlying panel excludes the product from use where the homeownerdesires to embellish an already-installed garage door to appear as if itis a solid-wood, carriage-house styled door.

There is a need, therefore, for apparatus for upgrading and enhancingthe appearance of existing metal garage doors, especially apparatus thatmay be installed by the typical homeowner without the complete removaland replacement of the existing garage door.

SUMMARY

The invention is defined by a plurality of lightweight panels designedto embellish and enhance the exterior of an overhead multi-panel metalarticulating garage door that has already been installed into astructure. The panels are specifically designed so that they are easilyinstalled by a user who has no particular mechanical or constructionskills. Once the panels are installed the garage door will appear to bemanufactured of solid wood and has a rail and stile carriage-housedesign. The panels are easily removed from the garage door to which theyare installed, so the owner may adjust the panel positions and maychange the look of the door by using different panels.

Each panel comprises a multi-layer laminated structure having anunderlayment sheet that provides a relatively rigid structural backing,and which preferably is defined by an extruded rectangular polystyrenesheet that has opposed major surfaces. A thin wood veneer is adhesivelybonded to the outer-facing major surface of the polystyrene sheet andthe veneer includes plural vertical grooves to simulate the appearanceof side-by-side tongue and groove boards. When multiple panels areinstalled the V-grooves align to give the appearance of elongatevertical boards. Vertical and horizontal members are placed at desiredpositions on the veneer—typically the vertical members are aligned alongthe side edges of the panel and the horizontal member extends across themiddle of the panel. The vertical and horizontal members providestructural and visual characteristics and, like the polystyrene sheet,are covered with a thin skin of wood. Plural magnets are embedded intothe side of the polystyrene backing sheet that faces the garage door anda layer of a high friction coating is applied over the entire rearsurface of the backing sheet, including the magnets.

The outer or street-facing side of the panels is wood and the wood isfinished and sealed to the elements to provide long-term protection fromthe weather that a typical garage door experiences. More specifically, aUV-cured polymer is applied to the wood, weather-facing surfaces forlong life and attractive appearance.

Accordingly several objects and advantages of the invention includeproviding an easily-installable and removable garage door overlay forexisting metallic garage doors that enhances the appearance of the door.The panels have a wood surface that may be finished according to thehomeowner's preferences and the panels are lightweight and do notinterfere with normal functioning of the garage door, oralready-installed automatic opening mechanisms.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an easily-adjustableand removable garage door overlay.

The invention provides a method for a user to install the panels to anexisting, pre-installed metal overhead garage door to increase thecurb-appeal of a structure by embellishing the structure's existingmetal garage door. Accordingly, the invention provides a method for theuser to increase the intrinsic value of the structure, provides a methodfor the user to customize the appearance of the overlaid door with anunlimited array of designs, provides a method that allows that existingmetal garage door to continue to function as designed after installationof the overlaid panels with no adjustments or upgrades to the existingopening mechanisms necessary, provides a method of light transparencythrough certain alternate embodiment panels which complement existinggarage door inset windows to allow light to continue to penetrate intothe interior space of the enclosure, and provides a system of removablepanels that the user can easily install onto and remove from an existingoverhead multi-panel articulating metal garage door.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from review ofthe specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects andadvantages will be apparent by reference to the following detaileddescription of the invention when taken in conjunction with thefollowing drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective left-side and partially exploded view of anindividual overlay panel constructed in accordance with a firstillustrated embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of vertical member of theoverlay panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the transverse horizontalmember of the overlay panel illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a top edge view of the individual overlay panel shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 2A is a call-out circle illustrating an alternative edge structurefor the overlay panel, in which the outer edges of the component layersare tapered to allow for edge of the panel to lie beneath existingweather-stripping.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back side of the individual overlaypanel shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of one edge of the overlay panelillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of two separate overlay panels arrangedschematically to illustrate their juxtaposition when installed on anexisting garage door, and showing the upper of the two panels having analternate and tapered upper edge.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the single overlay panel shown in FIG. 1attached to a panel of an existing overhead metal multi-panelarticulating garage door. The phantom lines in FIG. 6 illustrate atypical garage door opening in a structure such as a house.

FIG. 7 is a view of the existing garage door of FIG. 6, but with thepanels of the existing garage door obscured by plural overlay panelsaccording to the present invention, and including alternate embodimentsof some of the overlay panels that are installed in such a way as toprovide a complete rail and stile carriage-house garage door overlaysystem.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to the view of FIG. 7 exceptillustrating an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein some ofthe overlay panels according to the invention include clearpolycarbonate sheeting to simulated window appearance.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view the back side of the an individual overlaypanel constructed according to the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 8,detailing the construction of the overlay panels that include clearpolycarbonate sheeting.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a garage door that has plural overlaypanels according to the invention installed. In FIG. 9 the horizontalmembers of all panels have been altered and additional overlaycomponents have been added to provide the finished door with a differentdesign appearance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTSStructure

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to thedrawings. It will be understood that relative directional terms are usedat times to describe components of the invention and relative positionsof the parts. As a naming convention for the purposes of illustratingthe invention, the ground plane is considered to be a generallyhorizontal surface such as a garage floor, although it will beappreciated that in practice not all garage floors are horizontal. Otherrelative directional terms correspond to this convention: “upper” refersto the direction above and away from the ground plane; “lower” isgenerally in the opposite direction, “inward” is the direction from theexterior toward the interior of the panels, “vertical” is the directionnormal to the horizontal ground plane, and so on. The “street-facing”side of the panel, and similar descriptions, refers to the face of thepanels that is visible to a passerby. The garage-door facing side of thepanel is the face of the panel that when installed faces and abuts thepre-existing garage door.

Turning now to the figures, and particularly with respect to FIG. 1, afirst preferred embodiment of an individual overlay panel 5 according tothe present invention is shown in perspective view. The structure of theindividual panel 5 will be described in detail initially. It will beappreciated that plural individual panels 5 are designed to be installedonto an existing overhead metal garage door to give the garage door theappearance of being manufactured entirely of wood in the rail and stilefashion. It will thus be apparent that the size of the individual panels5 may be varied greatly in order according to the size of the existinggarage door onto which the panels are to be installed, and according toother factors such as the particular appearance desired.

Overlay panel 5 is a multilayer member comprising an underlayment sheet2 that provides a relatively rigid structural backing for the panel 5and which preferably is defined by an extruded polystyrene sheet. Whileother materials may be substituted for the polystyrene sheet used tomake underlayment sheet 2, it has been found that a polystyrene sheetapproximately 0.25 inches thick provides a lightweight and sufficientlyrigid backing that works well with the invention. Nonetheless, othermaterials such as conventional plywood may be used for the underlaymentsheet 2. As noted above, the size of the individual panels 5 may varyaccording to the specifics of the particular installation. However, onetypical size for the underlayment sheet 2 is about four feet in widthwith a height that matches the height of the individual panels on theexisting multi-panel overhead metal door onto which the panels 5 aredesigned to be installed.

A thin wood veneer 3 is adhered to the outer-facing surface 7 of theunderlayment sheet 2 with appropriate adhesives such as a two partepoxy. Since the veneer 3 is wood it has typical wood grain; the veneer3 is oriented on the underlayment sheet 2 such that the grain of thewood is visible in the desired orientation to provide the desired visualimpact; typically the grain of the wood is oriented to provide theappearance of vertically extending boards. The veneer 3 preferablycovers the entire underlayment sheet 2.

The outer-facing surface of veneer 3—that is, the side of the veneerthat is visible to a passerby—is scored with plural vertically extendingV-grooves 4. The V-grooves 4 are in the embodiment of FIG. 1 parallelwith the vertical side edges of the underlayment sheet 2. Typically, theV-grooves 4 are equally spaced apart across the width of theunderlayment sheet 2 so that the scoring creates individual sections ofequal width on the exterior face of the panel 5. This gives theappearance of individual dimensional wood boards that are verticallyarranged and which have conjoined lateral side edges, for instance, inthe fashion of tongue and groove boards, which is a characteristic ofrail and stile construction. The vertically oriented grain of the woodused for veneer 3 contributes to the appearance of individual boards. Asdetailed below, a finish is applied to the exterior facing surface ofthe veneer 3. Preferably, the finish, which is identified generally inFIG. 1 with reference number 100, is a UV-cured polymer that functionsto add desired color and finish to the veneer, protects the wood fromthe elements, and which also adds rigidity to the panel 5. Moreover,individual sections created by the V-grooves 4 may be finished withdifferent coloration so that adjacent sections within a single panel 5appear to be a different dimensional board. This appearance reinforcesthe illusion of carriage-door style construction.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1, panel 5 further comprises twovertically oriented members 6 that are attached to the opposed lateraledges of the panel 5 with the outer edges of the vertical membersaligned with the side edges of the underlayment sheet 2 and veneer 3,and one horizontal member 8 that extends transversely between thevertical members 6. An individual vertical member 6 is shown in anexploded view in FIG. 1A and an individual horizontal member 8 is shownin an exploded view in FIG. 1B. Vertical members 6 are defined by adimensional polystyrene board 10 which is of the type used forinsulation panels and which is trimmed to a length which exactly matchesthe height of the underlayment sheet 2. The polystyrene board 10 definesa lightweight core material for the vertical and horizontal members 6and 8. The width of board 10 is sized to approximate and simulate thewidth of the stile portion of rail and stile construction, which isapproximately five and one-half inches in width. Polystyrene board 10 isvery lightweight but gives a rigidity which provides athree-dimensionality quality to the panel 5; this is an essential visualelement in carriage-style appearance. The upper and lower edges ofpolystyrene board 10 are beveled at an angle so that when two adjacentpanels 5 are installed on adjacent panels of an existing garage door,the abutting vertical members 6 of one panel 5 create a plane scarfjoint (see FIG. 5) with the aligned members 6 of the adjacent panel 5.The scarf joint minimizes the visual separation of the adjacent panels 5and contributes to the appearance that these abutted vertical members 6are actually one long vertical board and is defined by the flat planesections of the respective vertical members meeting on an angle relativeto the plane defined by the vertical members.

A thin skin of wood facing 14 is adhered to the outer major surface ofboard 10 with an appropriate adhesive such as two-part epoxy to create apermanent waterproof bond between the board 10 and the facing 14. Thinwood strips 12, commonly known as edge-banding, are adhered to theopposed side edges and beveled upper and lower edges of polystyreneboard 10 with the same adhesive as used to bond facing 14. The woodstrips 12 create the appearance that the vertical members 6 are actuallya piece of solid dimensional wood. However, as noted, the members 6 arevery lightweight.

The horizontal members 8 are constructed in a like manner to thevertical members 6. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, horizontal member8 has a core defined by a length of polystyrene board 10 and a woodfacing 14 is adhered to the outer major surface of the board 10, and theupper and lower edges of the board 10 have edge-banding strips 12 bondedthereto. The opposed lateral side edges of board 10 do not have woodstrips adhered to them because these edges abut the vertical members 6in the assembled panel 5 and thus require no wood covering.

The wooden surfaces of both the vertical members 6 and horizontalmembers 8 is coated with the same UV coating that is applied to veneer3.

Two vertical members 6 and at least one horizontal member 8 are adheredto the face of the veneer 3, which as noted defines the exterior-facingsurface of the panel 5 and into which V-grooves 4 have been notched. Thepreferred adhesive for attaching the members 6 and 8 is a two-part epoxybecause epoxy provides a permanent waterproof bond, although there areother adhesives known to those of skill in the art that will suffice.The vertical overlay members 6 are adhered to underlayment 2 in such away that their longest axis is parallel to the V-grooves 4. Thehorizontal member 8 is attached to underlayment 2 with the longitudinalaxis of the member transverse to the axis of the members 6 and with theopposite lateral edges of the member 8 abutting the opposed verticalmembers 6. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, horizontal member 8is adhered to underlayment 2 such that it is equidistant from the upperand lower edges of underlayment panel 2. As will be apparent from thedrawings, the location of the horizontal member 8 on a panel 5 may bevaried in the vertical direction and the shape of the member 8 may bechanged to change the appearance of the panel. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 7 the lowermost edge of horizontal member 8 isnon-linear and curved to define an arch that provides the appearance ofan arched header—the horizontal member 8 is moved vertically upward onthe panel 5 so that the top edge of the horizontal member is alignedwith the top edge of the panel. Similarly, the horizontal member 8 maybe moved vertically downwardly on a panel 5 so that the lowermost (andin this case linear) edge of the horizontal member aligns with thelowermost edge of the panel and so that the horizontal member defines afooter board. And as will be described in respect of FIG. 9, the“horizontal member” 8 may also be disposed at an angle across the panel.

As best illustrated in the views of FIGS. 2 and 3, plural magnets 24 areinset into receptacles formed in the polystyrene underlayment sheet 2.More specifically, plural blind bores 25 are formed in the rear surface9 of sheet 2. A magnet 24 is inserted into each bore 25 and glued inplace with an adhesive such as epoxy. The outermost surface of themagnets is coplanar with the rear surface 9. The panel 5 shown in FIG. 3includes six magnets 24—one in each corner and two at near the middle ofthe panel and near the upper and lower edges, respectively. As detailedbelow, the magnets function to removably attach individual panels 5 topanels of the existing garage door. The placement and number of magnets24 used in any particular panel 5 will depend on factors such as thesize of the panel. At a minimum, a magnet will typically be place ineach of the 4 corners of the underlayment sheet 2. However, additionalmagnets may be used.

As noted previously, the underlayment sheet is preferably about ¼inchesthick. The blind bores 25 are cylindrical bores of a specified depththat are formed in the underlayment sheet and which have a base 27 onwhich the inserted magnet lies. The magnets 24 are preferably completelyencapsulated in adhesive and are glued to bases 27 of blind bores 25.The depth of the blind bores 25 is approximately equal to the thicknessof the magnets 24. Accordingly, when a magnet glued into the blind bore,the outer exposed surface of the magnet is coplanar with surface 9 ofsheet 2 (the adhesive coating on the exposed surface of the magnets isvery thin so as to not impede the attraction of the magnet to the metalgarage door). In a preferred embodiment the blind bore has a depth ofabout ⅛^(th) inch. This leaves about the same amount of polystyrenematerial at the base of the blind bore 25 and in this case the magnetwould be about ⅛^(th) inch thick. The diameter of the blind bores 25 isvery slightly greater than the diameter of the magnets 24 so that themagnets fit snugly into the bores and the adhesive on the magnetsfurther adheres to the sides of the bores. It will be appreciated thatthe bores 25 and the magnets 24 may be other than circular and that anycooperative geometry between the magnet receptacle in the underlaymentsheet 2 and the magnet 24 will suffice.

After the magnets have been glued in bores 25, an anti-skid coating 22is applied over the entire inwardly-facing surface 9 of underlaymentsheet 2. The preferred coating 22 comprises an elastomeric polymercoating of the type that is typically used for roof weatherproofing.There are several types of elastomeric coatings that are appropriate foruse in forming the anti-skid coating 22. For example, butyl and siliconebased elastomeric coatings provide excellent weather proofing qualities,and acrylic and polyurethane based coatings are also suitable. Theelastomeric coating is applied as a liquid but when dry provides ahigh-friction surface yet remains flexible. The coating is applied overthe entire surface and over the magnets 24. The coating defines ahigh-friction surface and contributes some rigidity to panel 5. As such,when the panel 5 is attached to a metal panel of an existing metalgarage door (by virtue of magnets 24), relative movement between thepanel 5 and the existing door is minimized in normal use. However, thepanels 5 may be removed as needed since the magnets 24 releasably attachthe panel 5 to the door.

The assembled panel 5 exhibits a high degree of rigidity with verylittle deformation over typically encountered temperature cycles.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2A, which is a close up view of analternative and optional edge structure for a panel 5. Specifically, theouter vertical edge identified generally in FIG. 2A with referencenumber 60 defines a sloped shoulder 62 in which both the underlaymentsheet 2 and veneer 30 are tapered. In a garage door having plural panels5 installed thereon, the outer vertical edge 60 is located on theopposite lateral sides of the garage door such that the side edges 64 ofadjacent panels 5 are aligned with the sloped shoulder 62 positionedbeneath existing weather-stripping that is attached to the framing ofthe structure surrounding the garage door opening. The opposite lateraledge of the panel 5 will be as shown in FIG. 2, that is, without thesloped shoulder 62.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 it may be seen that the high friction coating 22 coversthe magnets 24 and the entire surface 9 of sheet 2. Even though thecoating 22 covers the magnets, the strong attractive force between themagnets 24 and the metal of garage door 32 is sufficient that the panel5 is securely retained in place on the door 32. The dynamic forceprovided by the magnets 24 will cause the panels 5 to attach themselvesto the metal garage door 32 so that in all normal use of thedoor—opening and closing—the panels 5 remain precisely positionedwithout relative movement between the door 32 and the panel 5. The highfriction coating 22 assists in maintaining the position of the panel 5on door 32. Nonetheless, the panel 5 may be adjusted by a user bypulling the panel away from the door, against the magnetic force, andrepositioning the panel as desired.

FIG. 5 is a view of the side edges of the two uppermost panels 5 a and 5b, attached to two corresponding metal panels of an existing garagedoor, identified in FIG. 5 with reference numbers 31 a and 31 b. Thegarage door 32 is shown in phantom lines. The door 32 is represented inthe closed position; the header 34 of the garage door opening is astructural part of the framing of the house. It may be seen that theuppermost edge 70 of vertical member 6 a on the uppermost panel 5 a inFIG. 5 is beveled at a greater angle than the angle of the same edge 70of vertical member 6 b of panel 5 b in FIG. 4. The reason for thismodification of panel 5 a is apparent: so that the panel 5 a and itsvertical member 6 a clears header 34 as the garage door 32 is raised tothe open position and lowered back to the closed position. Garage door32 is a conventional garage door and may include an optional motorizedopening mechanism (not shown). It is a property of garage doors 32 thatwhen the opening mechanism begins the pulling action which causes thegarage door 32 to rise vertically—moving from the closed toward the openposition—that there is also a horizontal pulling force applied to thegarage door 32 towards the interior of the enclosure. With the upperedge 70 beveled as shown in FIG. 5, the vertical member 6 a of panel 5 apasses under header 34 without interference. This action is repeated ina reverse direction when the garage door 32 is moved into the closedposition. A panel 5 that is intended to be placed uppermost in theoverall system design, such as panel 5 a in FIG. 5, will be constructedwith this modification to the upper edge 70 of members 6 to ensureunimpeded operation of the existing garage door 32.

FIG. 5 also shows the vertical alignment of a panel 5 a and a verticallyadjacent panel 5 b such that when the two panels are abutted in avertical arrangement and installed onto the panels of an existing garagedoor 32, a scarf joint 33 is formed between the two panels 5 a and 5 bsuch that a weather barrier is provided and a visual conjoining of thetwo upright members 6 (i.e., 6 a and 6 b) of each panel is alsoprovided. The scarf joint significantly diminishes the appearance thatthere are separate panels when the garage door is closed. Wheninstalling panels 5 of any of the various embodiments described herein,the scarf joint 33 is repeated vertically over the entire surface of theexisting garage door 32 and there is left an appearance that thevertical members 6 extend upwards as one board of dimensional lumberthroughout the entire garage door overlay system, as seen in FIG. 7.

FIG. 6 illustrates a single panel 5 as it is intended to be installedonto an existing garage door 32 that has been previously installed intoa structure 35. Panel 5 has been adhered to garage door 32 via magneticforce from the magnets 24. While placement of individual panels 5 isdictated from the overall panel system design, each panel 5 will beinstalled such that the uppermost edge of each panel is aligned with andparallel to the uppermost edge of the individual panels of garage doorto which panels 5 are attached. The panels 5 are installed such that thelongest axis of the panels is exactly parallel with the longest axis ofthe individual panel of the garage door 32.

FIG. 7 shows a plurality of panels 5 installed on an existing overheadmetal multi-panel articulating garage door (the garage door is hidden bythe panels 5) which has been previously installed into a structure 35.For reference purposes, a finished installation as illustrated in FIG. 7with a plurality of panels 5 is referred to as installation 90. Theinstallation 90 shown in FIG. 7 includes eight separate panels 5,numbered 5 a, 5 b, 5 c and so on through 5 h. Panels 5 a and 5 e areattached to the uppermost panel of the underlying garage door and in thecase of panels 5 a and 5 b; the horizontal members 8 have been resizedand repositioned to conform to the overall system design. The horizontalmembers of the other panels 5 are modified as well, as may be seen inthe drawing.

Specifically, as noted above, the horizontal members 8 may be located invarying positions on the veneer 3 and in the case of FIG. 7, the members8 on panels 5 a and 5 b are moved upwardly so that they take on theappearance of a header board at the top of the door. Moreover, thehorizontal members 8 on panels 5 a and 5 e in concert define an archedshape so that the paired aligned members simulate an arch extendingacross the top of the installation 90. Horizontal members 8 on panels 5d and 5 h have been moved downwardly on the respective panels so that inconcert they provide the appearance of a footer board. With the abilityto alter the location of horizontal members 8, numerous differentdesigns may be achieved, including arches, angles, etc. to change theoverall architectural appearance of the installation. Should the systemdesign dictate that the horizontal member 8 adjoin an abutting panel'shorizontal member 8 in any way such as occurs in the vertically adjacentpanels in FIG. 9 (where the horizontal members are at angles on thepanels and the members abut one another), the edges of the members 8which will adjoin will each be covered in edge-banding 12 such thatthere is never any of the polystyrene 10 visible or exposed to theelements when the garage door 32 is opened or closed.

Continuing the description of FIG. 7 for illustration purposes the eightpanels 5 are sized appropriately for a garage door that is an eight-footwide single-car garage door and requires a width of two panels 5 side byside to completely cover the door. Also for illustration purposes, thegarage door rough opening is about seven feet in height and the existinggarage door is constructed of 4 identical panels stacked vertically ontoeach other to form a protective curtain. This size is typical forstandard metal overhead hinged garage doors used in modern constructionof residential garage doors. The panels 5 may be sized according to thegarage door onto which the panels will be installed. While not shown inthe drawings, those of skill in the art will appreciate that garagedoors that are formed of 5 identical stacked metal panels to define aheight of roughly eight feet is also a standard of modern garage doorconstruction. Such a standard door can be embellished equally withpanels 5 as well as the four-panel garage doors 32 shown in FIG. 6. Theuser would simply utilize panels with a height that matches the heightof the individual garage door panels onto which the panels 5 are beinginstalled. Those of ordinary skill will recognize that these variationsin sizing and design can be accomplished with no limits to the design ofpanels 5 except for sizing differences and the number of panels 5utilized.

FIG. 8 shows a finished installation 90 in which the uppermost panels (5a and 5 e) are modified to show yet another alternative embodiment ofthe panels; in this case, the panels 5 a and 5 e incorporate astructural features that mimics the appearance of windows. Specifically,a clear polycarbonate sheet 36 has been substituted for underlaymentsheet 2—the sheet 36 is of the same thickness and size as underlaymentsheet 2 and the magnets are installed in the rearward-facing surface ofthe polycarbonate sheet in same manner as described above with respectto the analogous underlayment sheet 2. Moreover, the horizontal members8 of panels 5 a and 5 d are arranged similar to those shown in FIG. 7and include vertical members 48 that overly the polycarbonate sheet 36to provide the appearance that panels 5 a and 5 d have windows that areseparate equally-sized panes of glass inset into the panel. The coating22 is omitted on panels 5 that have the clear polycarbonate sheet 36 inplace of the underlayment sheet 2.

FIG. 8A shows a rear perspective view panel 5 a shown in FIG. 8. Asnoted, in this embodiment the underlayment sheet 2 described in respectof prior embodiments is replaced with a sheet of clear polycarbonatethat has the same dimensions as sheet 2. A layer of black, opaque,single-sided adhesive vinyl tape 38 is adhered to the rear face ofpolycarbonate sheet 36. When the panel is viewed from the street side,the black tape 38 is visible through the clear polycarbonate andprovides the appearance that the panel includes panes of clear glass,even though the garage door on which the panel 5 a is adhered does nothave any windows.

The tape 38 is preferably pre-scored at lines 40 to separate the tapeinto small squares such that each square is individually removable. Whenthe garage door 32 is of the type that has windows, portions of the tape38 may be removed from the panels 5 where the panel overlays the windowsin the garage door. FIG. 8A shows several of these small sections oftape 38 removed to create the areas 50 which approximate the planarglazed surface of the existing windows 46 of garage door 32, again inthe case where the door has windows such as windows 46 shown in phantomlines. The transparency of the exposed areas 50 after the removal ofsections of tape 38 allows light 52 to penetrate from the exteriorthrough the panel and into the interior of the garage. The customizablequality of alternate embodiment of panel 5 a allows the user to retainthe functionality of the existing garage door's inset windows whilecompleting the overall carriage-house appearance provided by the panels5. Should the garage door 32 on which the panels are being applied beconstructed of all solid panels with no windows, the user will simplyleave the vinyl one-sided tape 38 of intact and retain the appearancefrom the exterior that the garage door has window panes as part of itscarriage-style construction.

FIG. 9 shows a finished installation 90 having plurality of panels 5 athrough 5 o in which the horizontal members 8 have been altered on allpanels to provide a differently-designed appearance. While they are notpart of the invention, FIG. 9 also shows decorative hinges 28 andhandles 30, which have been included in the drawing to complete theoverall carriage-house style. As can be seen in FIG. 9 the angle ofhorizontal members 8 has been altered such that the members aredisplaced at an angle across the combined panels, providing adramatically different appearance while maintaining the basicconstruction and adherence methods detailed in this application.

For illustration purposes and to show a variety of different uses of theinvention defined herein, FIG. 9 shows a typical two-car overhead garagedoor that is typically about 16 feet in width and which has beenembellished with plural panels 5 according to the invention. The garagedoor shown in FIG. 9 is a standard garage door construction and fromexamining the illustration it will be clear that to install panels 5 ona two-car garage door the user would simply use two sets of panels 5that are designed for an eight-foot wide single-car garage door. Themodularity of the panels 5 described herein can be carried further toinstall the panels onto a variety of garage doors with different sizesand styles, for example, doors that are installed into a three-cargarage and which are roughly twenty four feet in width.

Installation and Operation

The panels 5 described above are very simple to install on an existingmetal overhead garage door because the panels are magnetically attacheddirectly onto cooperatively sized garage door panels. The panels 5 aresized according to the size of the garage door and the user specifiesthe appearance of the finished installation that is desired.

With the appropriate number of panels 5 ready to be used and with theexisting garage door in the closed position, the user positions a panel5 over the corresponding garage door panel. Typically, the installationwill start with a panel 5 being installed in either the right or lefthand lower edge. When the panel 5 is brought in close proximity to themetal panel the magnetic force provided by magnets 24 draws the panel 5onto the garage door panel. The panel 5 must be aligned so that itsedges are aligned with and parallel to the edges of the underlyinggarage door panel edges, but this is a simple operation because themagnets 24 allow for relatively easy repositioning (and removal). Withthe first panel 5 aligned and properly installed the remainder of thepanels 5 are then installed in this same manner. It will be appreciatedthat where the outer lateral edges 60 of the panels 5 incorporate thesloping shoulder 62 illustrated in the alternative embodiment of FIG.2A, it is necessary to open the garage door 32 slightly to separate thedoor from the weather stripping in order to install the panels with theedge 60 underneath the weather stripping.

It should be noted that while certain combinations of vertical overlaymembers 6 and horizontal overlay members 8 are shown for illustrativepurposes, alternate locations and sizes of the horizontal members areanticipated and should be apparent to those skilled in the art.Moreover, those of skill in the art will recognize that certainalterations may be made while still retaining the equivalent panel. Forexample, the V-grooves 4 may be replaced with other types ofdemarcations that simulate side-by-side boards, including paintedvertical lines on the veneer 3.

While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that thespirit and scope of the invention is not limited to those embodiments,but extend to the various modifications and equivalents as defined inthe appended claims.

1. An overlay panel for removable attachment to a panel of an existingoverhead articulating metal garage door, said garage door comprisingplural individual rectangular panels hinged to one another and each ofthe individual panels having an uppermost edge and a lowermost edge todefine a garage door panel height therebetween, the overly panelcomprising: a rectangular sheet having opposed first and second planarmajor surfaces, opposed top and bottom edges and opposed side edges,said sheet having plural blind bores formed in the second major surface,wherein said sheet has a height that is the same as the garage doorpanel height; and a magnet in each of the blind bores whereby saidrectangular sheet may be attached to an individual garage door panelwith said magnets and with the opposed top and bottom edges of saidrectangular sheet aligning with the uppermost and lowermost edges ofsaid garage door panel, respectively, and each magnet having an outersurface that is substantially coplanar with the plane of the secondmajor surface.
 2. The overlay panel according to claim 1 includingmagnets in each of the four corners of said rectangular sheet andwherein each magnet has an outer surface that is substantially coplanarwith the second major surface.
 3. The overlay panel according to claim 2including a high-friction coating on the second major surface and oversaid outer surfaces of said magnets.
 4. The overlay panel according toclaim 1 including a wood veneer adhered to the first major surface ofthe rectangular sheet and sized so that the wood veneer covers theentire first major surface.
 5. The overlay panel according to claim 4including first and second vertical members adhered to the wood veneerand aligned with the opposed side edges of said the rectangular sheet.6. The overlay panel according to claim 5 further including a horizontalmember extending between the first and second vertical members.
 7. Theoverlay panel according to claim 6 wherein the horizontal and verticalmembers comprise wood surfaces.
 8. The overlay panel according to claim7 wherein the horizontal and vertical members comprise a lightweightcore material covered with a skin of wood.
 9. The overlay panelaccording to claim 8 wherein the horizontal member has one edge that isaligned with a top or bottom edge of the rectangular sheet.
 10. Theoverlay panel according to claim 9 wherein the horizontal member has oneedge that is aligned with the top edge of the veneer and an oppositeedge that defines a curve.
 11. The overlay panel according to claim 10wherein the one edge of the horizontal member that is aligned with thetop edge of the veneer defines an acutely angled surface relative to theplane of the first major surface.
 12. An existing metal garage dooraccording to claim 1 wherein each of the plural individual panels ofsaid existing metal garage door has magnetically attached thereto atleast one rectangular sheet.
 13. An overlay panel for removableattachment to a panel of an existing overhead articulating metal garagedoor, said garage door comprising plural individual rectangular panelshinged to one another and each of the individual panels having anuppermost edge and a lowermost edge to define a garage door panel heighttherebetween, the overly panel comprising: a rectangular overlay sheethaving opposed first and second planar major surfaces, opposed top andbottom edges and opposed side edges, said overlay panel having pluralreceptacles formed in the second major surface with at least one of saidreceptacles in each of the four corners of the overlay sheet; a magnetin the receptacle in each of the four corners; first and second verticalmembers adhered to the overlay sheet and aligned with the opposed sideedges of the panel; a horizontal member extending between the first andsecond vertical members; and wherein the overlay sheet defines a heightbetween said top and bottom edges that corresponds to the garage doorpanel height of an individual panel of said garage door so that whensaid overlay sheet is attached to an individual panel of said garagedoor the top edge of the overlay sheet is aligned with the uppermostedge of the individual panel of said garage door and the bottom edge ofthe overlay sheet is aligned with the lowermost edge of the individualpanel of said garage door.
 14. The overlay panel according to claim 13including a wood veneer adhered to the first major surface of theoverlay sheet and sized so that the wood veneer covers the entire firstmajor surface.
 15. The overlay panel according to claim 14 includingfirst and second vertical members adhered to the wood veneer and alignedwith the opposed side edges of said the rectangular sheet.
 16. Theoverlay panel according to claim 15 further including a horizontalmember extending between the first and second vertical members.
 17. Theoverlay panel according to claim 16 wherein the horizontal and verticalmembers comprise wood surfaces.
 18. An overlay panel for removableattachment to a panel of an existing overhead articulating metal garagedoor, said garage door comprising plural individual rectangular garagedoor panels hinged to one another and each of the individual panelshaving an uppermost edge and a lowermost edge to define a garage doorpanel height therebetween, the overly panel comprising: a rectangularoverlay panel adapted for removable attachment to an individual panel,said overlay having four corners and opposed first and second planarmajor surfaces, opposed top and bottom edges and opposed side edges thatdefine a height that is substantially the same as the garage door panelheight, and plural receptacles formed in the second major surface withat least one of said receptacles in each of the four corners of theoverlay panel; a magnet in the receptacle in each of the four corners,each magnet having an exposed surface that is coplanar with the plane ofthe second major surface.
 19. The overlay panel according to claim 18wherein at least part of the overlay panel is clear.
 20. An existingmetal garage door according to claim 18 wherein each of the pluralindividual panels of said existing metal garage door has magneticallyattached thereto at least one rectangular overlay panel.